Nyla - The Guildmaster

There are currently six continents in the world, each separated from the other by major oceans.

The southernmost continent of the world is the Icarae Continent.

North of the Icarae Continent is the Aris Continent.

Southwest of the Aris Continent, and northwest of the Icarae Continent, is the Faroth Continent.

North of the Faroth Continent and Northwest of the Aris Continent is the Tanith Continent.

To the North of the Aris Continent and East of the Tanith Continent is the Human Continent.

To the Southeast of the Human Continent, East of the Aris Continent, and Northeast of the Icarae Continent is the Kalran Continent.

The world itself is not a globe, but is not flat.

Nyla's full name is Nyla Forbarden.

Nyla is now 36.

Nyla is originally from Valcor.

Nyla is the daughter of the Matton and Zyla Forbarden. Both of her parents currently live in retirement on the Valcorian coast, having been successful merchants and retired at 68.

Nyla is female.

Nyla is of average height.

Nyla is human.

Nyla has hazelnut eyes which she inherited from her mother.

Nyla usually wears form fitting clothing of high quality.

Staffs and wands are not required to cast magic.

Nyla has a wind magic affinity.

Nyla has medium length red hair which which she keeps tied up.

Nyla is the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Authority and has full control of the organisation, with minor delegation.

The Adventurer's Authority currently has several bases throughout the human colonies of Aris, although their current Headquarters is at the Port of Karack, where Nyla manages things.

If the end of the Dark Ages was a sign that the world was on the brink of an age of prosperity and stability, then Aris is the beacon lighting the way into that new age. Aris, commonly called the New World by human Adventurers, is the most central continent in the world, and as such the most easily accessible. Since the Dark Ages however, the continent has remained almost untouched by all but its own native Anthrokan population, with the likes of the Human Continent and Icarae trapped in their own internal conflicts.

This has changed however, as in the final years of the Dark Ages, both the Icarae and Human Continents began to branch outwards, in particular towards the Aris Continent. Now with the beginning of the Age of Dawn, the continent has been split three ways.

In the north, the humans have established themselves in various colonies and trading outposts along the coast, the most prominent among them being the Carabek Trading Post, considered the gateway to Aris from the Human Continent. Of the nations from the human continent leading the charge into the great unknown of Aris, Valcor is the most prominent, being the first to officially sponsor voyages and missions into Aris. Despite this however, the colonies are largely autonomous and free of oversight from Valcor. Rather, power lies mostly in various companies and merchant guilds, who sell various services to both each other and to the fortune seeker colonists.

In the south of Aris, the Icarae have a major influence, with their colonies being directly ruled from the Icarae Continent, unlike the humans of Aris. Using the vast river systems of the south they expanded their power and reach inland, however compared to the humans they are present in far fewer numbers, the continent mostly being treated as a military outpost by the homeland. As such the land is far less developed, mostly being sporadic forts and military outposts. In recent years however it has become something of a vacation spot for the Icarae nobility, and with the seas once again safe the homeland has been taking more and more interest in outwards expansion.

Finally in the centre of the continent, a veritable no mans land to both the Humans and Icarae exists. While the colonised lands in the north and south are still very much wild, with vast unending forests, swamplands, and untamed wilderness, the centre is a different beast entirely, being more similar to the Wild Forests of the human continent, with light not even able to breach through the treetops. It is this deep jungle forest that the Anthrokan have lived in since the Dark Ages, and where they will fight to the bitter end.

When the Age of Dawn arrived following the success of Hero Zero, no continent benefited more than Aris. With the death of Calron and his army of leviathans, the oceans between each continent were free of the dangers they had been plagued by. While before travel between the likes of the Human Continent and Aris were limited, with the Liberation of the Seas, the kingdoms of the Human Continent began to send more and more supplies to what were once backwards, forgotten colonies.

At the forefront of this new wave of migrants has been the Adventurer's Authority, an organisation formed by several human kingdoms shortly before the Age of Dawn to act as an impartial hiring ground for the exploration of Aris as well as protection of its denizens.

The Frontiers of Aris is the term used for the stretches of land in the north of the Aris continent sitting between the human colonial holdings and the territories of the Anthrokan tribes. The Frontiers have largely remained uninhabited by even the Anthrokan. The terrain is largely temperate flat plains broken up by hilly valleys and forests, although in the north east of the Aris Continent the terrain is far closer to a chilly taiga.

While the reason for the lands remaining uninhabited by the Anthrokan is unknown to most, civilisation almost certainly used to exist in them, with the landscape being dotted by thousands of ruins of different make, with some being believed to date back centuries. It is for this reason that services like the Adventurers are particularly popular to scavenge these ancient ruins for either knowledge or valuables.

The terrain of Aris can be divided into four distinct regions: The North of the continent which is largely flat plains broken up by hilly forests, the North-East which stands apart as an almost unnatural chilly taiga, the Centre which is largely a singular dense forest, and the south which is primarily wetlands with thousands of rivers and tributaries going through it.

The Aris Continent is the largest landmass in the world.

The terrain can be divided into four distinct regions: The North of the continent which is largely flat plains broken up by hilly forests, the North-East which stands apart as an almost unnatural chilly taiga, the Centre which is largely a singular dense forest, and the south which is primarily wetlands with thousands of rivers and tributaries going through it.

When the Age of Dawn arrived following the success of Hero Zero, no continent benefited more than Aris. With the death of Calron and his army of leviathans, the oceans between each continent were free of the dangers they had been plagued by. While before travel between the likes of the Human Continent and Aris were limited, with the Liberation of the Seas, the kingdoms of the Human Continent began to send more and more supplies to what were once backwards, forgotten colonies.

At the forefront of this new wave of migrants has been the Adventurer's Authority, an organisation formed by several human kingdoms shortly before the Age of Dawn to act as an impartial hiring ground for the exploration of Aris as well as protection of its denizens.

Chosen to lead this organisation has been Nyla Forbarden, a minor noble of Valcorian birth chosen for her administration skills and her time spent in the colonies. As a leader of a new organisation she has much on her mind, and she doesn't intend to fail.

Anthrokan is the collective term for the various peoples and civilisations who bare significant animal traits. Anthrokan is itself a term only really used by the Humans and Icarae of the world.

Anthrokans are mostly humanoid versions of different animals, insects, and creatures, being one of the main reasons they are grouped together under the umbrella term Anthrokans. They bare all the traits and features of the animals they are versions of, but are mostly humanoid and bipedal. The only animals where there is absolutely no Anthrokan version of are avians, e.g. Parrots or Eagles.

Anthrokans are almost entirely tribal and usually remain incredibly isolated and low in population, each different Anthrokan race usually being from a single unique tribe, the name of the tribe usually being the name of that Anthrokan race.

Despite the similarities with both other races and wild animals, all Anthrokans are completely unrelated to other races or species.

The languages of the Human Continent can generally be categorised into two groups; the dozen or so common languages used by the civilised kingdoms, and the thousands of diverse languages used by the Wildmen population of the continent.

With the common languages they can be organised into four distinct categories: Westlander, the result of intermingling between the realms of the Westlands and the Sea Kingdom of Laven. Valcorian, the native tongue of the Valcorian peninsula. Corvalan the native tongue of the Corvalan peninsula. Eastern, the tongue of Gurader and its civilised Wildmen allies.

For the Wildmen languages, each tribe has their own unique language, however tribes in a certain proximity will tend to have similar sounding languages.

Generally the people of the Human Continent only really know the language of the people they are a part of, e.g. a Westlander will only know the Westlander language and a Wildman will only know the language of their tribe.

-The Human Continent is the second largest landmass in the world, smaller only slightly to Aris. The continent at this time is divided into several main regions:

• The Westlands, the region of the Human Continent that has become most civilised and organised. The Westlands environment is mainly made up of vast plains and temperate forests which have largely been tamed by the local humans, with a few exceptions. In a sub-region of the Westlands known as Ostrania, where the Principality of Ostrania is located, the terrain is most vast highlands with basins and plateau. The coldest part of the Westlands is in the northern most parts, where the land turns into the Northern Yorek Mountains. The region itself can be easily defined on a map, as it is enclosed from the south by the Southern Yorek Mountains (Which run from north to south), and from the north by the Northern Yorek Mountains (Which run east to west), with the vast corridor between the two ranges being the only major land route east out of the Westlands. East of the Southern Yorek Mountains lies the Wild Forests. The people of the Westlands are a peaceful people, but are still ready to defend themselves against Wildmen raids.

• The Laven Isles are a series of islands off of the western coast of the Human Continent, with six major islands and hundreds more smaller ones. The isles are a mix of temperate humidity, marshland, and an archipelago climate. The waters which sit in the centre of the islands is very warm as a result of the currents. For all of the islands, they largely lack any major mountains, with the highest elevations being particularly large, unimportant hills on a few islands. The Isles lie west off the coast of the Westlands. The people of Laven are extremely mercantile, and well known for being great merchants and diplomats.

• The Wild Forests is the climate region in the centre of the human continent and the largest one. The Wild Forests are made up almost entirely of dense woods and brush. In many parts of the forest, as a result of the density of foliage, the sun can often not be seen, making the forest floor incredibly cool and dark. The Wild Forests, despite the name being a plural, is more akin to a single large forest, stretching from the Westlands to as far east as the Eastern Highlands, with no pause in between. It largely serves as the main land barrier between east and west. The Wild Forests are inhabited by the Wildmen of the Forest, who roam the lands in raiding clans, sometimes foraying into places like Corvala and the Westlands.

• The Wild Snows is the name for two distinct regions in the north of the Human Continent. The Western Wild Snows is located north of the Northern Yorek Mountains and south of the Maldok Mountain Range (Which runs east to west), putting it between the Corvalan Peninsula and the Westlands. A large mountain gap between the Northern Yorek Mountains to its south, and the Maldok Mountain Range to its north serve as the main land entrance to the Western Wild Snows from the Wild Forests. There is however a decently large passage between the Western Wild Snows and the Westlands where the Northern Yorek Mountains meet the coast. The Western Wild Snows end at both mountain ranges and also ends where it meets the Wild Forests, which is near the eastern end of the Northern Yorek Mountains and the halfway point of the Maldok Mountain Range. The Western Wild Snows is mainly just a very cold boreal forest, and the coastline it has is usually frozen over. The Eastern Wild Snows are very similar to the Western Wild Snows, being mainly frozen coast and cold boreal forest. The region itself is slightly smaller, and is separated from the Western Wild Snows by the Wild Forests. The Eastern Wild Snows stretch along the coastline from the eastern end of the Maldok Mountain Range to the northern area of the Northern Guardian Mountain Range. A small area on the coast connects it in a viable land route to the Corvalan Peninsula, and another similar coastal passage between the sea and Northern Guardian Mountain Range connects it to the Eastern Wastes. Other than that it mainly borders the Wild Forests region, with the southern most portion of the Eastern Wilds mainly connected to the Eastern Wild Highlands. The Wild Snows are inhabited by the Wildmen of the Snow, a mainly hunting and survival focused people, although they still often raid.

• The Corvalan Peninsula is the northern most region of the Human Continent. It is almost completely closed off from the rest of the continent by the Maldok Mountain Range to its south, which stretches from East to West, with a small viable land route in the east near the coast where the mountain ends connecting the peninsula to the Eastern Wild Snows. Despite being in the northernmost area of the continent, the peninsula is relatively temperate, with its terrain mainly being a series of highlands and plateaus. The people are extremely isolationist, distrusting of everyone that isn't a Corvalan, mainly born from their geographic isolation.

• The Valcoran Peninsula is the southern most region of the Human Continent. It sits parallel to the Corvalan Peninsula on the other side of the continent and is closed off from the rest of the continent by the Mountains of Thunder (Which runs from east to west), which separate the peninsula from the rest of the Continent, with no viable safe land route through the mountains. The northern portion of the peninsula which sits closest to the mountains is relatively cold forest, however the further south into the peninsula you get the more temperate and warm it gets, largely shifting into vast plains. The people are highly militarized, with honour and glory being idealised to a zealous degree.

• The Wild Highlands is the name for two distinct regions in the central area of the Human Continent. The Western Highlands are located north of the Mountains of Thunder, and are surrounded by the Wild Forests to the north and west, and the Wild Grasslands to the east and south. The Eastern Highlands are located east of the eastern most part of the Wild Forests, putting the Wild Forests west of them, with the Eastern Wild Snows to their north, the Wild Grasslands to their south, and Guardian Lands to their east. Both of the Wild Highlands largely share the same temperate climate accompanied by rolling hills and ranges with the occasional lowland or basin. The Wild Highlands are inhabited by the Wildmen of the Highlands, a people who keep to themselves and are very isolationist, although they often both trade with and raid the kingdoms of Valcor and Gurader.

• The Wild Grasslands are a small region located on the southern coast of the Human Continent. The Southern Guardian Mountains lie to the east, separating them from the Eastern Wastes, the Guardian Lands, Wild Forest, and both of the Wild Highlands lie to the north of the Wild Grasslands. The Valcoran Peninsula lies southwest of the Grasslands, although there is no viable land route as it is cut off by the Mountains of Thunder. The Wild Grasslands are inhabited by the Wildmen of the Grasslands, the most peaceful of the Wildmen, mostly keeping to themselves and tending to their crops.

• The Guardian Lands is the region which makes up the western side of the Guardian's Pass, which is the expansive pass that lies between in the gap between the Northern and Southern Guardian Mountains, both of which run north to south. The Guardian's pass itself is in the east of the Guardian Lands. The Guardian Lands are mainly temperate, with highlands in the west, however the farther east you get the drier and more barren the land gets as you get closer to the Eastern Wastes. The Guardian Lands also mostly refers to the land controlled by the Kingdom of Gurader. The people of the Guardian Lands are extremely stoic and defensive, mainly to defend against raids from both the Wild Highlands and the Eastern Wastes.

• The Eastern Wastes are the eastern most region of the Human Continent. They are largely a barren wasteland, with very little growing. It is largely cut off from the rest of the continent by the Southern and Northern Guardian Mountains, with the only major land routes being the Guardian's Pass and the small coastal passage on the northern end of the Northern Guardian Mountains. The west of the Eastern Wastes are largely barren highlands and hill ranges, ending at the Mountains of Death. In the centre of the wastes the Mountains of Death run from north to south across almost the entire waste. East of the Mountains of Death is largely flat barren wasteland. The exception to this flat barren wasteland east of the Mountains of Death is Death's Peak, the tallest mountain in the Human Continent which rises high into the sky as a dark, grey rock. The Eastern Wastes are mainly populated by the Wildmen of the Wastes, the most violent and ferocious of the Wildmen, where whenever they are not fighting each other they launch massive raids to try and break through the Guardian Lands to raid the lands beyond.

Human Countries on the Human Continent:

• Principality of Ostrania; The Principality of Ostrania is a country located in the Westlands of the Human Continent. The country is mainly centred around the Ostranian Highlands from which it takes its name, with plateaus and valleys dotting the country. It has a large coastline to its west, where its capital of Orast is located on the small Orastan Peninsula. It borders the Kingdom of Doglen to its east and the Kingdom of Gradholm to its south, both of which Ostrania is on good terms with. The country has existed since the Dark Ages, and as such no information remains of its founding due to the lack of records from the time period.

• Kingdom of Doglen; The Kingdom of Doglen is a country located in the Westlands of the Human Continent. It is the largest country in the Westlands and is mainly characterised by its border regions, in particular the east and northern borders. To the east lie the Wild Forests, of which Doglen is the only Westlands country to share a border with, with the Kingdom commonly having to deal with Wildmen raids from this direction. To the north lie the Northern Yorek Mountains, which separate them from the Wild Snows, although occasionally Wildmen will still make their way over the mountains to raid. The country has existed since the Dark Ages, and as such no information remains of its founding due to the lack of records from the time period.

• Kingdom of Theyrin; The Kingdom of Theyrin is a country located in the Westlands of the Human Continent. It is situated on the southern portion of the Westlands, taking up most of the region's southern coast. Theyrin is mainly characterised by the nobility's obsession with honour and justice, with young nobles often venturing out as hedge knights to travel the land and learn about honour and justice. Theyrin has two neighbours, the Kingdom of Gradholm to its north, and the City-State of Krinios, which is on a small peninsula in the south of the Kingdom. The country has existed since the Dark Ages, and as such no information remains of its founding due to the lack of records from the time period.

• Sea Kingdom of Lavin; The Sea-Kingdom of Lavin is a country located off of the western coast of the Human Continent. It is made up of the Lavin Isles, which are six major islands and hundreds of smaller islands. The kingdom is mainly characterised by its strong naval traditions and mercantilism, having the strongest navy on the Human Continent. The country has existed since the Dark Ages, and as such no information remains of its founding due to the lack of records from the time period.

• Kingdom of Gradholm; The Kingdom of Gradholm is a country located in the Westlands of the Human Continent. It is situated near the centre of the Westlands, with the Kingdom of Theyrin to its south, the Principality of Ostrania to its north, the Southern Yorek Mountains to its east, and the Sea Kingdom of Laven off of its western coast. Gradholm, despite being almost entirely sheltered from Wildmen raids, is one of the most militaristic countries in the Westlands, with a strong tradition of shock and awe tactics engrained into its populace.

• City-State of Krinios; The City-State of Krinios is a country located in the Westlands of the Human Continent. It is situated on the southern portion of the Westlands and is only present on a small peninsula on the south, with its only neighbour being the Kingdom of Theyrin to its north. Krinios is the most mercantile of the Westlands countries, and is the only Westlands country to function without a single ruling monarch. Instead the City-State is ruled by a council of nobles, making it function much more like an oligarchy. The country has existed since the Dark Ages, and as such no information remains of its founding due to the lack of records from the time period.

• Kingdom of Valcor; The Kingdom of Valcor is a country located on the Valcorian Peninsula on the southern part of the Human Continent. The Mountains of Thunder lie to its north, cutting off Valcor from the rest of the continent by land. The country is characterised by its extreme militarism, glorification of combat, and traditions of glory and honour, with their heavy cavalry and infantry largely being regarded as some of the best in the world. The country has existed since the Dark Ages, and as such no information remains of its founding due to the lack of records from the time period.

• Kingdom of Corvala; The Kingdom of Corvala is a country located on the Corvalan Peninsula on the northern part of the Human Continent. The Maldok Mountain Range lies to the south, cutting off Corvala from the rest of the continent by land. The country is characterised by its extreme isolation, both geographically and politically, with outside merchants and visitors largely turned away from the country under threat of force. The country has existed since the Dark Ages, and as such no information remains of its founding due to the lack of records from the time period.

• Kingdom of Gurader; The Kingdom of Gurader is a country located in the Guardian Lands of the Human Continent. The Guardian Mountains lie to its east, while to the west lie the Wild Highlands and the Wild Grasslands. The country is characterised by its utter devotion not to the Wildmen around them, or to their own prosperity, but rather to ensure that nothing escapes from the Eastern Wastes and makes it into the west. Because of this they are one of the few countries to actually work diplomatically with Wildmen.